History

• TESTS OF AUTHENTICITY

  1. Determine the date of the document to see whether they are anachronistic - e.g. pencils did not exist before the 16th Century
  2. Determine the author - e.g. handwriting, signature, seal
  3. Anachronistic style - e.g. orthography-spelling/punctuation
  4. Anachronistic reference to events - e.g. too early, too late, too remote
  5. Provenance or custody - e.g. determines its genuineness
  6. Semantics – determining the meaning of a text or word
  7. Hermeneutics –determining ambiguities
• The Problem of Credibility In Internal Criticism

  • Verisimilar – as close as what really

  happened from a critical examination of

  best available sources
• •Why was it written?

  •Is there consistency?

  •What are the connotations?

  •What is the literal meaning?

  •What is the meaning of the context?

  •Was it written by a witness or not?

  INTERNAL CRITICISM
• Tests of Credibility(Internal Criticism)

  1. Identification of the author
  2. Determination of the approximate date
  3. Ability to tell the truth
  4. Willingness to tell the truth
  5. Corroboration
• e.g. to determine his reliability; mental

  processes, personal attitudes

  Identification of the author
• e.g. nearness to the event, competence of

  witness, degree of attention

  Ability to tell the truth
• e.g. to determine if the author consciously

  or unconsciously tells falsehoods

  Willingness to tell the truth
• Corroboration


  i.e. historical facts – particulars which

  rest upon the independent testimony

  of two or more reliable witnesses
• HOWELL AND PREVENIER’S CHIEF ELEMENTS OF SOURCE CRITICISM

  1.The genealogy of the document, whether it is the original, a copy, or a copy of a copy.

  2.The genesis of the document, the circumstances, authority, and events in or under which it was produced.

  3.The originality of the document, whether it is innovating or merely passing on already current information.

  4.The interpretation of the document, the extraction of some kind of meaning from it.
• HOWELL AND PREVENIER’S CHIEF ELEMENTS OF SOURCE CRITICISM

  5.The authorial authority of the document, the relation of its author to the subject matter, whether eyewitness, earwitness, or even further removed.

  6.The competence of the observer; is the author qualified to report and capable of reporting critically and with comprehension?

  7.The trustworthiness of the observer; is the author lying or telling what he or she believes is the truth?
• Rubric for Critiquing Historical Sources

  1. Purpose
  2. Authority
  3. Currency
  4. Reliability
  5. Coverage
• Rubric for Critiquing Historical Sources

  1. Purpose

  • What is the purpose or motivation for the source? (E.g., educational, commercial, entertainment, or promotional.)

  • Based on your knowledge, is the information fact, opinion, or propaganda?

  • Who is the intended audience for the information, and how is this fact reflected in the organization and presentation of the material?
• 2. Authority

  •Is the author identifiable?

  •What is the author's background? (E.g., experience,

  credentials, and occupation, and has he or she

  published anything else on the topic?)

  •Does the author cite his or her sources?
• Rubric for Critiquing Historical Sources

  •When was the resource last updated or revised,

  and how often is it updated?

  Currency
• Rubric for Critiquing Historical Sources

  Reliability


  • How stable does the resource seem to be? The resource’s

  dependability (particularly in the case of web sites) is

  important if it is going to be cited as a source or

  recommended for use by others.

  • For web sites, do most of the links on the page work?

  • From your evaluation of currency and authority, do you

  think the resource will be there the next time you visit it?

  Rubric
• Analysis of Primary Sources

  •Test of Credibility

  •Test of Authenticity

  •Rubrics for Critiquing Historical Sources
• Repositories of Primary

  Sources

  1. National Archives of the Philippines
  2. National Library of the Phils.
  3. National Historical Commission of the Phils.
  4. National Museum of the Philippines
  5. U.P. Main Library
  6. ADMU Rizal Library
  7. DLSU Library
  8. UST Library
  9. Library of Congress
  10. National Archives and Records Administration
• Kinds of Primary Sources

  • Human fossils
  • Artifacts
  • Royal Decrees &Laws
  • Official Reports
  • Chronicles
  • Friar accounts
  • Maps
  • Memoirs
  • Personal Account
  • Newspaper
  • Magazines
  • Legislative
  • Journals Court Records
  • Speeches
  • Personal Letters
  • Online databases
  • Blogs
  • Documentary Films
  • Recorded Interviews